Interview with Alina Toader, HR Manager in ASF

1. What was the trigger convincing you to choose human resources?

After more than 12 years experience in human resources, I remember with pleasure my first touch with the field. I was working at a company which was launching a human resources portal. It was a new concept in Romania. I joined a fresh team which had the objective to attract candidates in management and specialists in different sectors. The company was offering recruiting services for several companies, while my job was to offer support for our online candidates. At a busy recruiting moment, I grasped the opportunity to help my colleagues in CV screening. I enjoyed it a lot and decided to deepen my expertise in recruiting.
At this moment I cannot see myself doing something else.

Until ASF, my expertise was mainly in managing the HR processes for online and e-commerce. I was thinking of extending my industry expertise, but I was not sure whether or not I should make the change. At that time, ASF was looking for a HR Manager and I applied for an interview as I was drawn by the company's presentation that seemed to be people oriented. I had the chance to meet the former HR Manager and the top management. I was convinced by peoples’ authenticity. I saw a friendly company, oriented towards results, where each employee matters.

3. Three years later, what are your thoughts?

I am surrounded by people who focus on customers and results, while having the willingness to get involved in the company’s fun events (parties, team buildings, and other special moments). We work a lot and, at the same time, we enjoy the relaxing moments we share together. I consider that the secret of our success is the right balance we are able to maintain between work and personal life. We encourage our colleagues to act in this direction.

At ASF, we have a nice mix of people. We have senior colleagues who work in the company from the beginning, more than 18 years ago, and, at the same time, we have young and enthusiastic developers who infuse a fresh energy. This ensures us to stay on track with the technology and move forward, along with new IT trends.

Even if there are many teams involved, with specific targets and activities, they all still move towards the same direction and support each other in becoming better. As everybody contributes to the goals, it is much easier to reach them all together.

4. According to recent studies, recruitment plans in Romania are the most optimistic compared to the rest of Europe. What are Advantage Software Factory's plans for recruiting?

We grow continuously and attract more specialists interested in joining our unique environment. We are a Romanian company, having as clients, top companies from banking, financial services, telecommunication, utilities and debt collection agencies.

Our recruitment plans are ambitious and we have tailored offers to attract employees with positive attitude, who want to develop themselves, and contribute with their knowledge and enthusiasm to our success.

As many IT companies, we have challenges in attracting candidates specialized in the technologies we are interested in, but we overcome them by using transparency when discussing about our environment, work conditions and our expectations. We are interested in open minded people with a passion for technology and business knowledge, even if they are not yet senior in their field. We want people willing to learn new things and take responsibility for the projects they coordinate or they are involved in. The technical and business knowledge can be learnt but the right attitude is harder to acquire, so it is one of the first things we keep in mind.

5. A recent eJobs study shows that employees in Romania change jobs each 4 years. Is ASF affected by this trend?

We are affected by the trend, but due to our culture oriented towards personal development, we have an average tenure of 6 years. We encourage employees to develop and migrate towards other positions, lateral movement, project management or technical lead positions within the company.

6. A final advice for potential candidates who are interested in choosing ASF as a future employer?

What can I say? First of all, be yourself. Schedule an interview to experience our culture and meet our great team.

If you are attracted by our transparency, if you are flexible, if you want to see a special working environment, if you would like to make performance, please join us for a long trip to personal development and leave a mark on our company’s success.